‘DEVASTATED’
Major update on ‘dangerous’ search for missing fishermen after theory explained how their running boat was found empty
The Coast Guard has shared a theory on their mysterious disappearance
FAMILY and friends are speaking out after the “unusual” disappearance of two attorneys, an uncle and nephew, who vanished during a fishing trip.
Questions were raised and an urgent search launched after their abandoned boat was found running 70 miles off the Florida coast.
An uncle and nephew duo mysteriously disappeared off the coast of Florida without a traceCredit: Instagram/deborah_sb_
Their boat was discovered 70 miles off the coast of Fort Myers, Florida with the engine still runningCredit: U.S. Coast Guard
The FBI launched an investigation into the missing menCredit: Instagram/deborah_sb_
The Coast Guard have shared a theory on their “unusual” disappearanceCredit: Instagram/deborah_sb_
Randall Spivey, 57, and Brandon Billmaier, 33, were last seen on December 19 when they set out on a fishing trip off the southwest coast.
After combing the waters for days, the search was called off on Friday because it was deemed too dangerous for rescuers.
Now, family and friends are remembering the uncle-and-nephew duo as they wrestle with the devastating news.
Billmaier’s law firm, the Shiner Law Group, described Brandon as an “exceptional attorney” whose “kindness, integrity, and character left a lasting mark on our Firm.”
“Brandon will always be part of the Shiner Law Group family,” wrote the firm in a statement.
“We will continue to honor his memory, his friendship, and the positive impact he had on all of us.”
The two men were reported missing after they failed to get into contact with their wives at 8 pm that day.
Just after midnight on December 20, a Coast Guard helicopter spotted their boat adrift while still in gear 70 miles southwest of Fort Myers, Florida.
“The circumstances for why these two men are missing is certainly unusual,” Former FBI agent Richard Kolko told Wink News.
On December 22, the Coast Guard called off the search for Billmaier and Spivey.
Paul Rocuant, a close friend of one of the missing men and a volunteer searcher, said that the Coast Guard, the military, and the Florida Guard, along with volunteers, “combined forces using the most advanced technology and equipment available.”
“The search effort has covered an area larger than the entire state of Connecticut,” he said.
The Coast Guard handed the case over to the FBI as a missing persons case to determine the circumstances of their disappearance.
“They were beyond the territorial limits of the U.S. coast,” Kolko said.
“So that gives them the authority to go out and, you know, kind of try and figure out what happened.”
TRAGIC THEORY
Billmaier’s wife, Deborah, shared the Coast Guard’s theory on her husband’s mysterious disappearance.
She said that the Coast Guard believes that one of the men fell off the boat, and the other man jumped in after him, not realizing the engine was still running.
“So they jumped in the water, and the boat was still going, kept moving away from them,” Deborah said.
“There was no way the two men could catch up to the moving 42-foot boat,” she added.
Deborah also revealed the final message her husband sent her before vanishing.
“I love you, and I’ll see you tonight. I’ll be back home tonight,” Billmaier texted, ABC affiliate WPBF reported.
FISHERMEN REMEMBERED
Deborah added that the Coast Guard did everything they could to recover the two men, and that she takes comfort in knowing that he spent his final hours on the water.
“He loved fishing,” she said. “He lived for it, he lived for his family, for me.”
Rocuant also thanked the Coast Guard for their search efforts.
“Few people were more concerned about the safety of innocent people than Randy and Brandon,” Rocuant told Wink.
“We know without question that they would reach the same conclusion as the experts, that everything possible has been done.”
Family statement
Since Friday, when this tragic event occurred, the United States Coast Guard—together with agencies from Collier County, Lee County, the Florida Guard, the military, and many other organizations—have combined forces using the most advanced technology and equipment available. The search effort has covered an area larger than the entire state of Connecticut.
In a private briefing with Coast Guard leadership, the family was informed that, given the enormous amount of time, resources, and strategic effort focused on the most logical search areas, there is the highest degree of confidence that if Randy and Brandon were on the surface of the water, they would have been found. With that understanding, the Coast Guard has advised the family that as of sundown today, the active search must be suspended. While this is heartbreaking, the family is certain this is the correct decision and holds the deepest respect, gratitude, and acceptance for it.
Randy was an attorney helping those who were injured, for over 30 years. Likewise, following in his uncle’s footsteps, Brandon was also an attorney advocating for those who were injured as well. Few people were more concerned about the safety of innocent people than Randy and Brandon. We know—without question—that they would reach the same conclusion as the experts: that everything possible has been done. They would ask that this decision be respected and that the bravery and heroism of those who searched—those in the air and on the water doing the real, dangerous work—be honored.
This is incredibly difficult for the family and for everyone hoping for a different outcome. We respectfully ask that the decision to suspend the search be honored, both from a professional agency standpoint and from a volunteer standpoint. The search area, which is now more than 100 miles offshore, continues to move west and farther from shore, creating increasing risk, and it is no longer safe to ask volunteers to put themselves in serious danger. For those who know Randy and Brandon, there is no doubt this is exactly how they would feel.
The family asks for your compassion, understanding, and support during this unimaginably difficult time. We love you all.
[Source: Wink]
